Cotton tramper



J. A. BACHIVIAN.

COTTON TRANIPER.

APPLICATION man 1uNE24. |919.

Patented Apr. .118, 11922.

3 SEETS-SHEET'I.

INVENTOR J. A. BACHMAN. -coro-N TRAMPER.

APPLICATION FILED )UNE 24. 1919.

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enfreint Josnrn A. BACMAN, or a-Us'iutu, r TEXAS. y

COTTON T12/AMBER.

reissen.

Application liled June 24,

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that l, JOSEPH A. BACHMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Austin, county of Travis, and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Trampers, of which the following vis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements 1n trampers such as are commonly employed in conjunction with baling` presses for cotton, and aims to provide improvements therein.

The present invention provides a tramper which is mechanical in its operation, which is simple in construction, which involves but few working parts, and which is etlicient in operation.

The invention further provides certain features of combination between the ti-amper per se and a swinging part of a slide upon which the cotton is supplied to the underside of the tramper.

Other features of improvement will be hereinafter set forth.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

ln said drawing Fig. 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of said embodiment of the invention, together with certain parts ofl a cotton press to which the invention is applied.

' Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line II-ll, Fig. 1. f Fig. 3 is a side elevation. with parts broken away and with the tramper in a position different from that in Fig. 2.

Fig'. l is a sectional view on the line rv-llv, rig. i.

ln said drawing letter A. designates certain parts of the frame oli a cotton press,

. B a balingbox, and C a framework for supporting the tramper in a position above the baling box. D indicates a slide upon which cotton moves or slides into the bal ing box, and into a position beneath the tramper. The usual practice is to gin the cotton, condense the lint in a machine called a condenser, and bale this ginned cotton or lint in the baling press, the ginned cotton or lint sliding into the baling press on the slide D.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

1919.. serial No. 306,350.

The tramper comprises a reciprocatory part or-plunger which comprises a follower 1 andy an upright frame 2 thereon formed conveniently of four upright posts 3 connected at their upper ends by a block 4L. The framework C is provided with a guide 6 for the tramper, this guide being conveniently composed of four pieces ofv angleron arranged in such manner as to contact with the upright posts 3. Braces 7 may be provided for the angle-iron guide 6.

Numeral y9 designates a rtriangular rack comprising gear teeth 10 and attached to the plunger by the link 11, the link being pivotally connected to the gear, as indicated at 12, and being also pivotally connected to the block 4L of the'plunger as indicated at 13.

Leaf-springs 15-15, attached to the link 11 and bearing upon the triangular rack piece 9 vare provided for stiffening the joint between said rack and link, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. yThe rack is actuated by a pinion 17 fast upon the shaft 18 journaled upon the frame-work C, and.

rotated in any suitable manner, as vby means.v

of a pulley 19. Means are provided for keeping the teeth upon the pinion in mesh with the teeth 1() of the rack, these means being preferably the walls 21 and 22 of a channel 23 formed in the rack piece 9, and having a contoursimilar to that of the rack. Rollers 25,. loose upon the pinion shaft 1S maintain the teeth upon the pinion in mesh with the teeth upon therack. Preferablyv a roller 25 on each side of the pinion is em-v ployed, and while preferred and desirable` it is not necessary to provide the wall 22 of they channel as a surface against which the rollers 25 may contact. The wall 22, how! ever, in conjunction with the rollers 25 serves to provide a clearance '.between'the ends of the teeth upon the pinionand the base of the teeth upon the rack. f

The slide l) which is preferal'ily used in conjunction with the tremper is provided a swinging part 30, turning about a shaft 3]. journaled upon a convenient part of the framework C. A rock-shaft is preferably provided for actuating the swing-v ing part 30, being connected thereto by an arm 3a and a link 35. The rock-shaft may he operated by any suitable means, but

45, and therack-piece 9 with an elongated finger 46. `The position 4of the fra-me 39 for engagement of the 'finger146 with the eye is determined by a' suitable stop'or stops, vthese being `preferably Vresilient springs 48 bearing at one end against shoulders 49`upon the frame, and'at the other end upon a fixed part, as for example one of the supports 42. The spring' stops 48 are normally drawn against the parts 42 by suitable means, for eXamplea 'weight 50, Fig,v 3, the weight 50 being conveniently f connected to the frame by means of acable 51 passing over pulleys '52 and Iii-order' to prevent Y-the stream of cotton liowing down the Slide. 'D Preventing the return of thehswinging part 30, said'part 30 is preferably provided `at its back with la curved apron 36 Vwhich fits closelyagainst the end of the stationary part of the slide.

Operation: lCotton to be baledis put into the baling box Bl When the press used inv conjunction with a condensing machine the cotton slides ina substantially continu- .ous stream down'the slide D into the baling box.

Whenthe baling box is filled with loose cotton,'it is desirable to compact it, and for Athis purpose the tramper is used. A belt being connected to the pulleyk 19, the pinion 17 imparts movement to the rack 9. During the filling ofthe baling box the plunger ofthe tramper is normally in its highest position. The pinion 17 `therefore moves the rack downwardly, carrying with it'the follower 1. By reason thelink 11 the rack-piece 9 may be displaced to one side or the other of the pinionaxis, according to which side of the rack is in mesh with the pinion. l/Vhen the lrack reachesA the lower end of itsmovement, its apex passes under the pinion 17, and the pinion 17 thereupon engages the teeth on the other side of the triangle, thus raising the follower 1 un# til the follower reaches its highest position, The pinion then engages the teeth` lupon the base lof the triangular rack, tlius providing a dwell of the follower during' the time Unat the teeth of the base of the rack are moving over the pinion. The springs 15 act to stiff/en the oint between the triangular gear 9 and link 11, so as to prevent the triangular vgear 9 from toppling sidewise when the base of said triangular gear is traveling across the pinion 17. The springs 15 are, howevennot essential. ln this interval while the follower is raised, more cotton may be putinto the baling box beneath the follower, and thereupon the action of the pinion on the rack causes the plunger carrying the follower 1 to repeat the previous reciprocation.

`When the slide D with swinging pait() is used in connection with the tramper, the finger 4G engages the eye 45 during a Vpart of the upward movement of the rack-piece 9, the frame 39 carrying the eye piece 45 being properly positionedby the actionl of the weight 5() and the resilient stops 48 tobring about the clutching or engaging of the parts 45, 46. During the remainder of the upwaiklV movement of the rack-piece 9, the'fingerl 46 simply passes idly through the eye 45. lll/hen the rack-piece 9 reaches the .limit of its upward movement and the pinion 17- engages the base of the triangular rack, the'frame39 is pulled by the rack-piece 9 against the 'pull of the weight 50. The frame 39, when moved by the rack-piece 9, also pulls upon thecable 38 attached to the rock-arm 37 lupon the rock-'shaft 33, but inasmuch as a Lcertain s. amount of slack is provided in the cablev 38 (see Fig."3),the cable 38 isnot drawn taut until the latter part of the niovementof the base part of the rack over thepinion 117. l/Vhen, however, the cable 38 is drawn'taut, and pulled upon the ra'ckpiece 9, the rockshaf't is rocked, swinging upwardly thel part 3() of the slide to alposition alongside thefollower 1, and thel swinging part 30de maintained in this positionuntil, upon Vthe downward movementv of the rack-piece 9, the 1 'Y finger 4G is disengaged from the e s45.

e e e y Upon the disengagement of theparts 45 and the weight 50 serves to slide the frame 39 in a direction away from the rack-piece 9, thereby. slackening the cable 38Zan'd allowing the swinging part 30 to :swinglback'to' a position flush with thes'lide D. f By the,

time the swinging part I 30 released theV follower 1 has descended a considerable part of its movement, and has preferably reached a position about on` a ylevel with the, shaft 31 .upon which the swinging part 30' turns;

The reciprocation of the plunger and the'f intermittent action of the 1 swinging part through the clutching" offthe parts 45,46 continue, in "the samemanner as described; until the baling box has been filled and Coni-Y pacted to the point vwhere it is desirable to transfer the vbalingbox to the place where j the compacted cottoii'is subjected to great the baling boX, and so that there is no loss ofmotion of the follower l in traveling from its uppermost position to the top ofthe heap of cotton beneath it at the top of the baling box. 1f it is desired to operate the tramper independently of the swinging part 30, this may be done by pulling upon the frame 39 against the action of the resilient stops 4S, thereby withdrawing the eye 45 out of position to be engaged by the linger 46 upon the upward movement of the rack-piece 9.

A slide 50, traveling with the head 1 prevents cotton falling on top of the head 1 during the time said head is lowered.

The inventive ideas as herein set forth are capable of receiving other embodiments than those herein specifically illustrated and described.

lWhat is claimed is l. A cotton tramper for baling presses, comprising a follower, means for reciprocating said follower, said means comprising a triangular gear, a pinion, and a connection between said gear and follower, said rack being arranged so that the base of said triangular rack travels over said pinion when the follower is in elevated position, whereby a dwell is produced in the motion of said follower in its up, or withdrawn, position.

2. A cotton tramper for baling presses, comprising a follower, means for reciprocating said follower, said means comprising a triangular gear and a link connecting said triangular gear to said follower, a pinion meshing with saidl gear, and a guide for maintaining said gear and pinion in mesh, said rack being arranged so that the base of said triangul ar rack travels over said pinion when the follower is in elevated position, whereby a dwell is produced in the motion of said follower in its up, or withdrawn, position. y

3. A cotton tramper for baling presses, comprising a follower and frame, means for reciprocating said follower, said means comprising a triangular gear and a link connecting said triangular gear to said follower frame. a pinion meshing with said gear, and a guide for maintaining said gear and pinion in mesh, said guide comprising a channeled part around said gear and rollers in conjunction with said pinion.

el. A. cotton tramper for baling presses, comprising a follower and frame, means for reciprocating said follower', said means coinprising a triangular gear and a link connecting said triangular gear to said follower frame, a pinion meshing with said a shaft carrying said pinion, a guide for maintaining said gear and pinion in mesh, said guide comprising a channeled part around said gear, and loose rollers mounted on said pinion shaft.

5. si cotton tramper for baling presses, comprising a follower and frame, means for reciprocating said follower, said means compri sing a triangular gear and a link connecting said triangular gear to said follower frame, a resilient means opposing the bending of the joint between said frame and link.

G. 1n combination, a follower and acotton 'slide having a swinging part adapted to be swung to and from a position alongside said follower, and means for swinging said swinging part in conjunction with the movement of said follower, said means comprising a transmission, and means on said follower intermittently connecting and disconnecting with said transmission.

7 1n combination, a follower and a cotton slide having a swinging part adapted to be swung to and from a position alongside said follower and means for swinging said swinging part in conjunction with the movement of said follower, said means comprising a transmission having a lost motion therein, and means on said follower intermittently connecting and disconnecting with said transmission.

8. A cotton vtramper for baling presses, comprising a follower and frame, means for reciprocating said follower, said means comprising a triangular gear, a link connecting said triangular gear to said follower frame, and a pinion meshing with said gear, a cotton slide having a swinging part adapted to be swung to and from a position alongside said follower, and means for swinging said swinging part in conjunction with the movement of said follower, said means comprising' a transmission and clutching parts upon said triangular frame and transmission, respectively, said clutching parts being adapted to engage during the upward part of said reciprocation of said triangular gear, said transmission being caused to act upon said swinging part by theoscillation of said triangular gear produced by the meshing of said pinion with the base part of said triangular gear., and said clutching parts being disengaged during the -downward reciprocation of said triangular gear and follower.

9. A device according to claim 8, said transmission comprising a sliding frame, a flexible cable and a lever between said cable and swinging part of the slide.

10. A. device according to claim 8, further comprising means for returning the swinging slide part after said transmission is disconnected from said gear.

11. device according to claim 8, fnrther comprising means for removing said Clutch parts from interengaging position.

12. device' according to claim 8, further comprising a sliding frame having one of the clutch parts thereon, resilient stop for said frame, and means for displacing said frame, tensioning said resilient stops and removing the clutch part thereon out of position to be engaged by Jthe clutch part.

v on said gear.

13.(In a' press a ram, a triangular rack, gearing between the ram and the triangu- 5 lar rack, and means for driving the tril angular rack. 14. In a press a ram, a triangular rack, a

shaft mounted in bearings, a pinion on the shaft in mesh with the rack, guides on the rack, rollers carried by the bearings running 10 on the guides.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

JOSEPH A. BACHMAN'. 

